Pacers slip to 2nd place in East after blowout loss to Hawks; Roy Hibbert benched for second half

Things have gone pear-shaped for the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers were trounced by the Hawks on Sunday, losing by a score of 107-88 on their home court. Hawks point guard Jeff Teague scored a game-high 25 points and chipped in with five assists. 

Aside from the lopsided score, the loss was an embarrassing one for the Pacers on multiple levels. 

First, they were booed on multiple occasions en route to their second-straight double-digit loss in Indianapolis. 

Second, their anemic offense scored a franchise-low 23 points in the first half along with just one singular assist in the half. 

Finally, starting center Roy Hibbert, who has previously complained about "selfish dudes [in the locker room]", was benched for the entirety of the second half, and was seen sulking on the sidelines. Hibbert finished with 0 points on 0-for-5 shooting, 0 rebounds and a -19 in nine minutes of play.

After the game, a report emerged claiming that instead of listening intently to Pacers head coach Frank Vogel's second-half message, Hibbert was reportedly watching a promo for King of the Hill instead. When asked about Hibbert's status as the starting center going forward, Pacers head coach Frank Vogel said "I don't know", although he also added that Hibbert's reduced minutes were an effort to rest the 7-foot-2 center, who had appeared in every game this season. Hibbert declined to speak with the media after the game.

The loss, coupled with the Heat's 102-91 win over the New York Knicks on Sunday, pushes the Heat into first place in the Eastern Conference. The Heat have an equivalent number of wins to the Pacers, but have two games in hand. Before the season, Indiana stated that their goal was to capture the first seed in the the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks' victory pushes their lead to two full games ahead of the New York Knicks for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Their win also mathematically eliminates the Detroit Pistons from playoff contention.